The Flyers and Penguins rivalry has always been intense, but when a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals is on the line, things get downright insane.

The Penguins were able to win the first two games of the series over the weekend, but it wasn't without Philly putting up a good fight. Mike Richards is off to a great start in the series, as he has picked up three goals in the first two games. Last night he tied the game at two late in the second period on a shorthanded breakaway. It was a beautiful goal scorers' goal as he went top shelf on the glove side. Richards now has seven goals and seven assists for the playoffs.

Meanwhile on the other side of the ice, Evgeni Malkin is once again off to a great start. In Game 1, Malkin scored two goals, including the game winner, and also had an assist in the Pen's 4-2 victory. His second goal was a shorthanded breakaway goal in which he teed up a slapper from 15 feet away. It was certainly unusual to see from such a talented player as Malkin coming in all alone on a breakaway. "It was really a last-second decision," Malkin said through an interpreter. "I just decided to shoot that puck as hard as I can. I didn't think about it, where to shoot, and to make any moves. Just as hard as I can."

Malkin has also not been afraid to throw his weight around. He has been involved in numerous hits and collisions on the ice, both taking hits and giving them.

These two centers are instrumental to their teams' success and both are stepping up and taking their game to the next level at the right time. Richards and the Flyers will certainly be looking to get back into the series when Game 3 gets under way in Philly on Tuesday night.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

Johan Franzen has never quite put on a postseason performance like he has so far in this year's playoffs.

Franzen set a new career high during the regualar season by scoring 27 goals and has led Detroit through the first two rounds of the playoffs with his offensive production.

He currently leads all players with 12 goals in just 11 games and leads the league in plyaoff scoring with 15 points. In the Western Semifinals against Colorado, Franzen scored an incredible nine goals, including two hat-tricks, during Detroit's four game sweep. The nine goals set a club record for most goals in a playoff series, breaking Gordie Howe's old record of eight goals.

Last night was Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals and Franzen was back at it, tipping in a goal to help the Wings to a 4-1 victory.

"He's been great. He's a big, big man with lots of skill. We're lucky to have him," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said.

Franzen and the Wings will get back on the ice tomorrow night for Game 2 in Detroit.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

As captain of the Boston Bruins, Zdeno Chara knows there is pressure on him to help lead the Bruins back to one of the elite teams in the league. This past season, Chara responded with the best statistical season of his career by setting career highs in goals (17), assists (34) and points (51). Such a performance will no doubt make him a finalist for this year's Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman.

Not only that, he led a team most predicted would finish last into the playoffs and forced the top seeded Canadians to the limit through a grueling seven game series. Chara's passion for the game is quite evident every time he takes the ice.

There is another passion of Big Z that you may not know about though. Chara is an avid biker who rides whenever he isn't on the ice. Not too long ago the NBH camera caught up with Chara as he went to get fitted for a custom TREK road bike.

Check out the video below and listen to his story as to how he first started riding and how long and how often he usually hits the bike. "Z" was third in the league this season in total ice time as he averaged just under 27 minutes per game, so when it comes to conditioning and getting ready for a season, this is one guy you should definitely listen to. Hope you enjoy the video and let us know what you think.

Posted By: Luke Ventura

The Eastern Conference Finals matchup was determined over the weekend and NBH athletes had a big say in who advanced.

The Flyers were once again led by Mike Richards and R.J Umberger during their series clinching 6-4 victory against the Canadians on Saturday night. Umberger scored two more goals and picked up an assist, while Richards picked up a goal and an assist.

Umberger finished the five game series with an incredible eight goals, and has nine total for the playoffs. Both of Umberger's goals brought Philly back into the game by tying the score each time. After the game, Umberger reflected on his hot streak. "Well, maybe someday I'll tell my grandkids or something like that, that would be fun," Umberger said. "I'm just going to take a moment, enjoy it but stay focused. There's plenty of time after it's over to celebrate it and enjoy it, but right now we have one thing on our minds."

Trailing 3-1 in the second period, Richards helped lead the comeback. He first scored his fourth goal of the playoffs to cut the lead to one, and then set up Umberger's goal to tie the game at three. The Flyers will be going to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2004 when they lost to the Lightning in a tough seven game series.

Meanwhile, across the state, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsbugh Penguins were punching their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals by defeating the New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime to win their series in five games. This will be the first all-Pennsylvania conference final.

Malkin scored on an impressive backhanded shot that went top shelf to give the Penguins a 2-0. It was Malkin's sixth goal of the playoffs to go along with his eight assists.

The two teams are certainly a story of bouncing back, as the Penguins finished with the worst record in the league two years ago, while the Flyers were an NHL worst just last season. It is certainly telling of the clubs young talent and determination to turn things around. During their eight regular season matchups, Philly was able to come away with five wins.

The series will kick off on Friday night in Pittsburgh, but you've got to wonder how much of a home ice advantage they will actually have.

Posted By: Luke Ventura